The Brains of the Operation
by Tando
Summary: The designer behind the Starkiller base, Pates Laylesa, has become a recluse after the events of The Force Awakens. Now a repairman on the Finalizer, she meets Matt, a new recruit, and the two form an unusual friendship. But Matt isn't everything he claims to be, and the First Order desires that Pates start construction on a new, more destructive weapon.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Are you certain this will yield results?" General Hux asks the Knight of Ren.

Footsteps echo along the wide, fluorescent lit room as black boots stomp along the grated metal floors.

The footsteps come to a halt as Kylo Ren ceases pacing. His head tilted down, he refuses to face the general as he speaks.

"If one Stormtrooper can defect and betray the First Order...who knows how many deviants we could have overlooked. This is a matter of security."

General Hux clasps his hands together, "But...with all due respect commander...your method seems a bit unorthodox."

Kylo Ren turns around, revealing himself to not be dressed in his usual black robes and helmet, but in a technician's uniform, sporting a blond wig and large glasses.

"They won't expect it. Besides, your methods of identifying have been proven faulty," he points out, still maintaining his stiff posture and movements while in disguise.

General Hux gives him a long look, before slightly bowing his head, "I will trust your judgement, commander."

Kylo Ren stands tall, "And you will also now address me by my new name...Matt."

* * *

Pates Laylesa flies a small repair ship around the _Finalizer_ , doing routine checks. From the seat of her ship, she spots a small hole towards the bottom of the _Finalizer_ , an asteroid wedged inside it. From above, she grabs the mic on her comms link to radio the storage room.

"This is vessel RE2115, requesting delivery of replacement parts for turbolaser numbered 834. I'm sending you my coordinates."

She looks up at her comms radio, but there's no response for a couple of moments. Then suddenly a loud, distinct voice comes through from the other side.

"Hello! Uhm...hi! You said you wanted...a...uhm…"

The voice blathers on as Pates rolls her eyes, "You're new...aren't you?"

"Yeah. I am a radar technician they picked up in the Western Reaches. But because I am new they have me down in storage. My name is Matt, what's yours?"

Matt's voice comes through as shouty and stuttered, and Pates points this out for him, "You know you don't need to yell into the comms."

"I'm not shouting! It's just how I speak...you know...from where I'm from," he immediately snaps back, almost in anger.

"Oh...I didn't realize. Anyway, there's an asteroid lodged into one of the turbolasers. It's toward the bottom so all I think I'll need is a Thorilide stabilizer. Do you know what that is?" she asks, avoiding Matt's conversation.

Some shuffling can be heard from the comms radio, and Pates leans back in her chair to wait.

"Uh...let me find that...Thorilide stabilizer...it's all labeled here but there's just so many parts here."

Metal clacking sounds come from the other side as Pates looks out her peripheral window and into space.

"Hey...you never answered my question," Matt reiterates.

She grabs the comm mic and waits a moment before speaking, "Your question? ...oh...my name...it's Pates. But right now, I'm vessel RE2115 in need of a Thorilide stabilizer delivered to my coordinates."

There's a long pause before Matt responds, "Affirmative."

Pates puts her feet up on the repair ship's command board, hesitating while looking back at her comms radio. After a moment of thought, she picks the comm mic back up again.

"Hey Matt? You still there?"

"Yes, I am here," he responds, "I'm heading over to deliver your Thorilide stabilizer."

"Where are you from, Matt?" she asks.

Only muffled noises come from the other end as she reiterates her question, "You said you're from the Western Reaches, right? What planet?"

"What planet? Oh...uhm...Craius. The planet Craius...but...but my family traveled around a lot, so I don't really know it well," he stutters.

"Traveling? That sounds exciting," Pates chuckles, feigning interest.

There's a pause from Matt, as only heavy breathing comes through the comm for a good half minute, "...not as exciting as you'd think."

She sighs, "Well...that's a shame, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. I would have killed to travel as a kid. It's half the reason I enlisted to join the First Order."

"Was there...any other reason why you joined the First Order?" he asks.

Pates shrugs, thinking the answer over to herself, "Patriotism, I suppose. Things were never really the same after the Galactic Empire fell. At least...that's what my parents told me. The Battle of Endor happened just before I was born."

"Your parents?" Matt repeats, "...where are they now?"

Pates slaps her forehead, "I...I don't want to talk about it."

As she finishes her sentence, another small repair ship comes cruising her way, its headlights shining at her ship.

"I've arrived with the part you've requested," Matt announces.

Pates gets out of her chair and looks out the back window of her ship. Inside the repair ship behind her, she can make out the faint outline of a pale man with blond hair sitting in the cockpit. Matt gives her a short, stiff wave, and Pates slowly raises her hand up to wave back.

She then jogs back to the pilot's seat in order to turn her ship to face his. Pulling a lever on the ship's control panel, two thin, robotic arms come out of the repair ship. The arms on Matt's repair ship are already out, holding the part she'd requested.

Pates maneuvers the arms on her ship to take the Thorilide stabilizer out of the hands of Matt's ship. As soon as the part has been exchanged, she takes the comm mic back up to her lips.

"Thanks Matt, I'll take it from here."

"You...you sure? You don't need help with...anything else?" he asks.

"No, that's the only part I need. I'll radio you if I need anything else," she replies.

Pates starts turning her ship around before Matt can respond, engaging the small laser on her ship to start melting away the asteroid stuck to the _Finalizer._

Suddenly Matt's voice comes through the comms radio, "Thank you Pates. This has been an impactful conversation."

And with that, Matt's repair ship turns around and heads back to storage. Pates gives his ship only a moment's glance before she shakes her head and returns to her work.

"Hopefully that's the last of that."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Pates crouches down in one of the many long corridors of the _Finalizer_ , opening up a grate in the floor and placing a small toolbox beside her. Grabbing one of the screwdrivers, she goes to work on unscrewing the inner layer that protected the machinery just beneath her feet.

"Well whaddya know, Pates Laylesa finally comes out of solitude," a scratchy, mid-pitched voice calls out from behind her.

She turns around to find an unmasked Stormtrooper holding his helmet under his arm. His head has been completely shaved, and his eyes have a bright wideness to them.

"Shouldn't you be on patrol, Stormtrooper DV-283? Or at your station?" she asks, turning her body around to criss-cross her legs.

"No, because it's lunch hour and I'm headed to the dining hall. Which I never see you at anymore," he points out, gesturing a thick, armoured finger at Pates.

Two more Stormtroopers pass him, and one shouts out, "Hey Devil!"

He chuckles, and waves at them while Pates rolls her eyes, "I never liked that nickname."

"C'mon, most Stromtroopers have a nickname. Maybe not that weirdo who abandoned the First Order and joined the Resistance, but...you know...most of us. Did you hear about that while you were in hiding?" Devil asks, trying to make conversation.

Pates stands, her arms crossed and her tone sharp, "About the guy who helped some Resistance fighters blow up Starkiller Base? Yeah, I heard about it."

Devil's smile starts to fade as he comes to a moment of realization, "Oh...oh yeah, I guess you would have heard about it."

She shifts her shoulders to the side, "I-...it was nice talking to you again DV-283. But...you probably want to get to lunch. I won't keep you."

Pates gets back on her knees as she turns around and continues unscrewing the plate to get inside the ship's wiring. Devil scratches the back of his head before speaking again.

"You know...that place was pretty cool. Before it...you know…"

Pates yanks out the plate, throwing it off to the side, "Honestly...I'm not upset about the place blowing to smithereens. ...I'm more upset about what we did with it before that."

Devil's shoulders sink, and he sighs, "Well...that's war, isn't it?"

Without turning around she replies, "Yeah...I guess it is."

* * *

The repair ship cracks to life as Pates fires it up from the pilot's seat. The ship's engines send it upwards, as it turns around in the _Finalizer's_ loading dock and blasts off into space. As it turns around, the comms radio up on the overhead of the ship beeps with an alert.

"Hello? Hello, hello! Is this vessel RE2115? Hello?" Matt's monotone voice comes through.

With a small sigh, Pates answers her comm, "I'm here Matt. What do you need?"

"I just...wanted to talk. Is talking a bad thing?!" he asks, almost as if he were accusing her.

Jumping a little from his sudden rise in tone, she stutters in her response, "N-no! Talking isn't bad at all. W-...we can talk."

"Good. That is very good," Matt takes a moment before continuing, "so...what do you think of Kylo Ren?"

Pates raises an eyebrow, "Uhm...I don't really know him. I think I saw him once while working at Starkiller Base, but that's about it."

"Yes, but what was your impression of him?" Matt presses.

"Why does it matter?" Pates counters, "I'm sure he's good at his job but...otherwise there's nothing else for me to say. I just don't know him."

There's a short pause before he responds, "...yes, he's very good at his job. Maybe...maybe you'd like him if you got to know him."

She twists her lip, "Maybe. Guess I'll never know."

"Never say never," Matt encourages, his monotone voice having a hint of optimism.

Pates stops her ship at the coordinates she'd been given. Spotting the loose piece of protective metal, she presses a button on the control panel and a small laser cannon lowers from the ship. Moving it with a joystick, she concentrates the laser cannon on her target. A small, red beam fires out, slowly sealing the metal plate back in place.

"Pates Laylesa!" Matt suddenly shouts from the comm.

Pretending not to notice him, Pates turns up the repair laser to a higher strength.

"Would you...like to meet me in person? Perhaps during the lunch hour?" he stumbles out, his speech slower than ever.

Turning off the laser to reveal the repaired plate of metal, she grabs the comm and sits down, "I don't know Matt...I usually eat lunch alone-"

"Why not change that?" he asks.

She leans back in her chair, and takes a breath, "Well...why not? Alright, I'll see you during lunch."

"Excellent!" Matt rejoices, enthusiasm coming through his stiff tone.

A sudden giggle comes from Pates, "Yeah."

* * *

Out of disguise, Kylo Ren stands on the command deck of the _Finalizer,_ his hands behind his back. General Hux marches up from behind him to whisper in his ear.

"So...how goes the progress of...Matt?"

Kylo Ren turns to his general, "Well. I have a list of people I want executed by week's end. I sent it to your living quarters."

A sideways smile appears on Hux's face, "It shall be done, Commander."

"There's one individual on your list of potential deviants that...concerns me more than others," Kylo Ren waves his hand and a holographic screen appears in front of them. On the screen, a static image of Pates Laylesa displays itself. Hux's eyes widen.

"According to your file, Pates Laylesa resigned from her position as Chief Engineer of the _Finalizer_ after being transferred from Starkiller Base just before its...destruction," Kylo Ren explains.

Arms firmly behind him, Hux clears his throat, "Yes...uhm...perhaps you should speak to one of the Lieutenants about that one…"

"You know the Lieutenants do not have access to these potential cases, you alone are directing this investigation," he reminds the general.

General Hux bows his head for a brief moment, "Huh...Pates Laylesa was the First Order's leading engineer who designed Starkiller Base. However, there was an...incident just before its destruction, and she voluntarily resigned her position as chief engineer. We've kept her under close surveillance ever since-"

"But there's been no further incident since," Kylo Ren concludes for him.

Hux sighs, "You can never be too careful."

Kylo Ren nods, "I will continue my investigation. But I think you're overestimating her potential threat level."

"This isn't about threat," General Hux corrects, "it's about convincing her back to our side."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Pates endlessly taps her fork against her plastic cafeteria tray. Sitting on her own in the _Finalizer's_ crowded cafeteria, in a table tucked away at the far end, Pates has barely touched her Synthefood meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

"Pates Laylesa!" she looks up at the sound of the direct, familiar voice.

Baggy, oversized technician's gear wraps around a gray jumpsuit. The towering figure slumps his shoulders, as if something is weighing him down. He walks with an awkward clump, like he's not quite comfortable in his large work boots.

"Hello. I'm Matt. Are you Pates Laylesa?" he asks in his stilted tone.

Pates stands, "Y-...yes. It's nice to finally...meet you in person, Matt."

"Yes...now I will sit," he announces, never taking an eye off of her.

Both Pates and Matt sit down at the lunch table. Matt lays down his lunch tray, but the food on it doesn't seem in interest him in the slightest. Pates tries to ignore Matt's ever-present stare, deciding instead to focus on eating her mashed potatoes.

"So Pates...do you associate with...anyone else on the ship?" he asks, his body hunching towards her.

Her eyes glance sideways, "Well, I talk to a couple of the Stormtroopers sometimes-"

"Who? State their numbers," Matt demands, his tone becoming forceful.

Pates leans back, slowing down the chewing of her food, "...okay, okay. I'll tell you, you don't need to shout."

While his stare continues, Matt's expression begins to change. He tilts his head towards the side, and his angry furrowed brow softens.

"Oh...I don't?" his question is almost innocent, as his posture lightens, and he eases his hands off of the table.

Pates shakes her head, "No...no, you don't. Uhm...well, the only Stormtrooper I really know is DV-283, the other Stormtroopers call him Devil."

Matt's expression suddenly turns serious once more, "Stormtrooper nicknames are forbidden-"

"I know they're forbidden. Personally, I refuse to use his nickname, but, unfortunately, not every rule can be enforced," she shrugs.

He lowers his head, his fingers clenching, "We'll see about that."

She raises an eyebrow, "You're going to report DV-283?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps there are ways to make soldiers fall into line," Matt leans into Pates, barring his teeth.

She crosses her arms, her expression unfazed, "You sound like an old boyfriend of mine."

Before Matt can respond, a hand covered in Stormtrooper armour slams itself onto their table.

"Pates! First I see you in the hallway, and now you're actually in the cafeteria?" Devil chuckles, before turning to Matt.

"Hey...I've...seen you around. You're one of the...new recruits, right?"

Matt immediately gets onto his feet, jutting his hand forward in a stilted, direct fashion, "I'm Matt the radar technician. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Despite his kind words, Matt delivers them with a cold monotone that makes them come off as somewhere between forced and sarcastic. Devil blinks several times, tilting his head away before shaking his hand.

"Yeah...nice knowing ya. The name's Devil-"

"Then you're Stormtrooper DV-283?" Matt huffs, still shaking his hand, but now with a death grip, yanking his hand up and down.

Devil forces his hand out of Matt's grasp, as some of the other Stormtroopers turn from their table to watch. Matt's sharp, stern tone certainly helps to draw attention, along with his jaunted movements and oversized technician's suit.

"Pates...mentioned you," Matt grumbles, not realizing his own awkward blunder.

Devil nods, as he starts to back away, "Cool."

Turning away, Devil exits the situation as fast as he can.

Matt sits back down, "Your friend...I don't like him."

Pates leans back in her chair, "Well, I'm not so sure he took to you very well either."

"Why do you say that? I was cordial," Matt argues.

She shakes her head, "You were too forceful, too direct. You looked like one of the officers, shaking his hand."

Matt's eyes widen, his expression becoming more innocent in the process, "I...I did?"

"Yeah," Pates affirms, "it was like you were some kind of...military leader."

Matt's face turns completely blank. His lips move slightly, but no sound comes out at first.

Suddenly, he stands, lifting up his tray of untouched food, "Thank you, Pates Laylesa. This has been...an informative experience."

She glances side-to-side, holding up a spoonful of mashed potatoes, "No problem."

* * *

Pates is curled up in a ball in her living quarters when the door slides up to reveal Devil.

"Ugh, I've always been jealous of your room. Sure it's small, but you get it all to yourself," he comments, as he glances around.

The closet-sized room is covered in various metal scraps. Boxes containing wires and other gadgetry are pushed into any available crevice or corner. In his Stormtrooper armour, Devil tiptoes his way through, trying not to step on anything.

Devil glances over Pates' shoulder, and realizes that she's not completely curled up, rather, she's working on something. Hunched over, she tinkers with a makeshift metallic sphere.

"Whatcha working on there?" he asks.

Putting down the screwdriver she was using, she pushes the sphere up, and it begins to float in the air on its own. The larger sphere then starts to separate into several smaller spheres, leaving the main sphere to float around the room. Devil becomes fixated on the spheres, following them with his gaze as they wander in different directions.

"It's a multi-angle hologram projector," she explains, as she looks on with him, "most holograms only project from a single source. You project the light from several different sources, you can control the intensity and color of each source. At least, that's the theory."

Devil zeros in on the sphere closest to him, and tries to grab it, but before his hands close around it, Pates turns around.

"Don't move them. They're programmed to go a certain distance."

Grimacing, Devil backs off away from the spheres, "So...can you show me a hologram?"

With the main sphere in her hand, Pates presses the tiny buttons on the sphere by encircling it in her hand. Each sphere projects its own hologram, creating the image of a rainy military fortress. In full color, the moving hologram encompasses most of the room, the sound of drizzling rain and light breeze surrounds the two of them.

"That's where I was trained. Arkanis Academy," she smiles, gazing at the image.

"It's like I could step into it," Devil chuckles, spellbound.

The image glitches, suddenly changing to that of a city in the jungle. Giant trees are carved out as houses, as evidenced by the doors and illuminated windows. People cross thick interconnecting branches and swing from numerous vines to get around. Children laugh in the twilight, as the planet's sun peeks through the thick foliage above.

Pate's grip on the main sphere tightens, as she grits her teeth. With her tightening motion, the hologram stops, and the smaller spheres return to their larger counterpart.

"That...that was your home planet...wasn't it?" Devil mumbles, placing his hand on top of his head.

Without responding, Pates hurls the sphere across the room, smashing it against the wall. Loose pieces fall off and wires come free as it tumbles to the floor. She crosses her arms and lies down on her back.

"Look...Pates...I...I'm sorry about what happened. But you can't blame yourself, they never told you-"

"Doesn't matter. I still pulled the trigger," she shakes her head as she stares up at the ceiling.

Frowning, Devil begins to exit her room. Just as reaches the sliding door, he takes one last look at Pates' hologram projector.

"That was...really cool. You should try to fix it, could make a fortune you know," Devil smiles through his whispered tone.

"After Starkiller, I'm not sure if I wanna make anything anymore," she confesses, as Devil leaves her in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kylo Ren marches up to General Hux, who's in a tense meeting with several other senior officers in one of the _Finalizer's_ board rooms. They're all standing around a large holoprojector that doubles as a meeting table. A hologram appears before the officers, displaying a volcano. Kylo Ren stands at a slight distance from the table, behind Hux, waiting for the meeting to be adjourned.

Gesturing to the hologram, one of the officers begins explaining to the general, "We've recently procured a planet whose terrain consists almost entirely of volcanic structures. If we could harness its energy-"

"Garbage. Next," Hux dismisses him, barely moving a muscle to do so.

The holographic image changes to reveal a lush waterfall, sitting atop a mountain spring.

"Our engineers have been making advances into hydraulic technology. They theorize that, given more resources for their research, they could create a series of-"

General Hux slams his fist down onto the table, "We're constructing weapons, not watermills. Next one, please."

The officers all turn their heads to Hux. One of them speaks, his voice shaking, "General...that's everything-"

The wrinkles around Hux's eyes crease, as he takes a deep breath.

He practically spits at the officer through his words, "Seven weeks...and this...this is all you, and dozens of the First Order's finest engineers could come up with?"

Another officer pleads, "General Hux, if you would only take a closer look-"

"I've seen what you have produced, and it is clear to me that you are nothing but children playing with toys!" Hux bursts.

"General…" the room turns to discover that Kylo Ren has been listening in on their conversation, "I have matters with which I would like to discuss."

Hux lowers his head, before turning and marching out the door, grumbling under his breath, "Fine. This meeting has been a waste as it is."

Kylo Ren follows him out into the hallway, "I want to make one addition and one deduction to our lists of suspects."

"Who?" Hux asks, his anger now at a concealed boil.

"I wish to add Stormtrooper DV-283 to the list of suspects to investigate," he explains, as the two of them cross into Hux's private quarters, where he accesses a computer containing the list of suspects.

Hux searches the registrar for DV-283, "No prior offenses...reports however do describe undisciplined behavior..."

With a grimace, Hux adds his name to the list with a swipe of his finger on the computer's holographic screen. He turns to Kylo Ren.

"Fair enough. And who will be deleted from the suspect list?"

"Pates Laylesa," he replies.

Hux shakes his head, "Her again."

He turns away from Ren, flexing the fingers behind his back, "...and what reason do you have for considering her a non-suspect?"

"You said so yourself. We must convince her back to our side. That means no longer considering her a suspect-"

"I think you haven't investigated her further enough," Hux snaps, his voice brash and quiet all at once.

Hux walks over to the window of his private quarters, standing before the vast outer space separated by the glass. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"You saw the destructive power of Starkiller Base. What we achieved. Now, if you will, imagine that kind of power in the hands of the Republic, the Resistance. If there's a decimal's chance that Pates Laylesa's considering turning tail...her rebellious fire must be stamped out, by force if necessary."

Kylo Ren pauses, "You...you would have Laylesa construct another superweapon for the First Order?"

Ren raises an eyebrow under his mask as Hux's shoulders seem to relax as he continues to look into the vast outer space. His first word comes out like a hiss.

"Yes. Weapons, armour, tech...I'd have her construct it all if I could," Hux's stare tilts upwards.

Kylo Ren starts to approach Hux, his hands behind his back, "General Hux...you oversaw the construction of Starkiller base...did you know Pates Laylesa, personally?"

Hux's eyes widen, and he immediately whips around, confronting him, "If you are insinuating something, Ren, I suggest you stop this instant. The investigation of Pates Laylesa will continue, and if you are incapable of handling the situation, I will see to it myself!"

Kylo Ren appears unfazed by the general's sudden rise in temperament, barely moving an inch, "Understood."

* * *

On the high-up walkways, Pates presses buttons on the control board for the _Finalizer's_ power core. A holographic checklist in her other hand, she checks a box off every time she presses a combination of buttons into the control board.

A heavy pair of footsteps echo along the power core's wide halls, and Pates turns to find Matt stomping down the catwalk.

"Hey Matt," she waves, before returning to her work.

He stops for a second, contemplating what had just happened, "You're...you're the first one to acknowledge me."

Raising an eyebrow, Pates turns toward him, "...hm?"

"I usually have to get people's attention, even if they already notice me. I find it quite rude," Matt explains, his frustration embellished through a rise in tone.

Not looking away from her work, Pates nods her head, "Hmph, I see. Maybe they're just preoccupied with their work, perhaps."

"Yes. Perhaps."

Matt strides further up to Pates, under he's directly behind her shoulder, "Pates Laylesa…"

She turns around, his relative closeness having no effect on her, "Matt, I'm trying to run tests on the power core, could we talk later-"

"You mentioned you had a boyfriend. Who was he?"

The question comes so sudden, Pates takes several seconds to respond, "...N-no one important."

"Are you sure? ...was it DV-283?" Matt goads on, a slight hint of suggestion coming through his monotone.

Pates shakes her head, "No, there's nothing between me and DV-283, as for your other question, yes, it's not like I have those kinds of connections."

He immediately snaps to the next question, "Why not?"

"I spent the latter half of my childhood at a quiet Imperial Academy. And my adulthood, out here, in the Unknown Regions. Not exactly places to meet a high-ranker military officer," she explains, her eyebrows raised as she continues pressing in buttons.

Matt's eyes widen, as he leans in closer, "An Imperial Academy? Which one?"

"Arkanis Academy. I was planning on transferring to the Imperial Engineers Academy once I was old enough, but then both Arkanis and the IEA fell to the Republic...oh well, I'm still certified by the Institute of Starship Engineers, so I guess it all worked out in the end-"

"I have never seen you so talkative..." Matt observes, "...you're avoiding the question."

Pates twists her lip, before punching in a final combo of numbers into the control. She closes out her holographic checklist and turns to Matt.

"Hey, could you run Test 3 while I check the reactor?" she asks, before she starts running down the catwalk.

"He avoided the question too…" Matt grumbles under his breath.

Turning his attention to the control panel, Matt's eyes shift all over the power core's control panel.

Now with Pates on the other side of the power core, Matt must shout for her to hear him, "How do I activate Test 3!?"

Surprised by his question, Pates leans over the walkway railing to yell back, "Access the main control, then go to 'automatic tests', and select 3!"

Matt responds with a confused expression, his eyes and mouth contorted in several different directions at once.

"Take your time, Matt!" Pates shouts from across, "This thing could only blow up the entire ship!"

Looking down once more at the control panel, his mouth hangs ajar, hands outstretched but frozen.

"Hey, upstairs is wondering if you've fixed the issue with the power core," Devil walks in, only to stop when he spots Matt.

Matt's head immediately darts toward Devil, "...DV-283."

"Hi…" even with his helmet on, Devil's cautious, stretched tone conveys his feeling of the situation.

Pates rounds back towards Matt, Devil, and the control panel, sliding down the ladder that connects the reactor's catwalk with the control panel's, "Something happens to the power core's levels when I run Test 3, but I need to be able to actively looking at the gauges on the reactor when the test is run. The test only lasts a couple seconds, and I can barely make it up there in time."

Tilting his head back, Devil responds, "...I have no idea what you're saying."

"Me neither," Matt instinctively joins in.

Pates turns to him with a look of realization, "...oh, I see, you haven't learned how to run tests on the power core yet. Huh, that's weird, that's usually one of the first things they teach you. Here, I'll show you."

After Pates demonstrates to Matt how to run tests on the power core, she runs up to the reactor. This time, Matt hesitantly pushes the buttons as Pates had shown him, and as Pates looks at the reactor's control panel, she inputs some button presses on her end.

"Got it!" she shows a thumbs up to the two guys below.

"Woo!" Devil throws his fist in the air in response, while Matt glares at him with a stalkerish persistence.

Pates climbs down to meet Devil, "Problem's fixed. You can go tell-"

She stops herself, her smile fading as she clears her throat, "You can tell your superior that the problem has been addressed and solved."

Even Devil notices her sudden shift in tone, "Is...is something up, Pates?"

Matt butts in, gritting his teeth at her, "She hasn't answered my question yet."

"What question?" Devil asks.

Matt leans his head down towards Pates, "Who have you dated?"

Devil's eyes widen, "Uhm...ha, ha, Matt...that's not something really discussed around here-"

"I _asked_ a _question_ ," Matt spits into Devil's helmet, his fists clenched.

With a sigh, Pates finally responds, "He was the Commandant's son...at Arkanis Academy."

Pates starts walking away before Matt can ask anymore, and when Matt tries to go after her, Devil puts his arm out in front of him.

"Hey man, hey...let it go," he tells Matt.

Matt grimaces at Devil, but his attention quickly reverts to Pates, "Arkanis Academy...why does that sound familiar?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Devil finds Pates in the _Finalizer's_ shooting range, armed with one of the blaster rifles, firing away at mock-ups of Rebel soldiers.

"Don't usually see mechanics working on their aim," Devil jokes, as Pates puts down the hot blaster, pulling off the protective helmet.

"I haven't been in an actual battle in quite some time, but I like to occasionally come here to blow off steam," she explains, cradling the helmet under her arm.

"You come alone?" he asks.

Pates sits down on the bench opposite the shooting range, next to her personal duffel bag, "My usual shooting partner's off on a mission."

She unzips her duffel bag, revealing a vast collection of pistols, rifles, and a heavy metal gauntlet. Devil shakes his head, taking off his helmet to get a better look.

"You...you're allowed to carry those around?"

"Just because I'm no longer Chief Engineer doesn't mean I don't still submit weapons designs to upstairs. These are my...prototypes," Pates smiles, looking over her haul.

His eyes wide, Devil raises an eyebrow as she takes a small blaster out of the bag and up to the range. He follows her with an intense curiosity, as she puts on her helmet.

Picking up the pistol, she turns to Devil, "If you wanna watch, you might want to protect yourself."

Wearing a heavy pair of gloves, Pates aims the blaster pistol at her target, only to have the weapon explode in her face the moment she pulls the trigger, sending her flying back. She thrown into the opposite wall, before falling forward onto the ground. Devil jumps back, dropping his helmet, as sparks burst from the blaster, even as it lies burned and fizzled out on the floor.

Pates pulls off her helmet, "Yeah...that's why we protect ourselves."

"Do things...explode on you often?" Devil asks, a real sense of concern coming through his comedy.

Nodding, she responds, "All the time."

"And this hasn't killed you?" he fires back, as he helps her stand.

Pates shrugs, "I'm still here. When I was Chief Engineer there were Stormtroopers who'd test these things for me. Now it's back to doing the testing all by myself."

She walks over to the ruined blaster pistol, which is now a pile of rubble that somewhat resembles a blaster. She picks up a piece of the blaster, which had become detached from the rest.

"Is it salvageable?" Devil asks, as he looks on with Pates.

She slowly starts to shake her head, "Nope. This one was a real dud. I was trying to modify the gas conversion enabler, but the whole thing backfired on me."

Opening a side pouch in her duffel bag, Pates reveals a slew of similarly damaged blasters. She adds the burnt up pistol to the pile, before closing the zipper.

"Hey...there's been something I've been meaning to bring up with you. You know that new radar technician, Matt?" Devil mentions, sitting down on the bench as Pates gets out another weapon, a blaster rifle this time.

"Yep," she murmurs, putting on the protective helmet that muffles her speech.

Devil fumbles to find the right words, but once he finds them, he lets everything out, "Well...it's just...he's super weird, don't you think? You saw how intrusive he was towards you, he's got all these...strange questions, and he always seems to get mad, no matter how you answer. He's been going around questioning all the Stormtroopers. I mean everyone. And the scary part is, some of the guys he questions...they disappear. I don't know about you, but I think something's seriously up with him."

Pates takes a long time to hesitate, as she puts down her rifle to think. Not daring to glance back at Devil, she shakes off her thought.

Now appearing completely unaffected, she lines up her shot with the rifle, "...I don't think Matt is strange. I think he's in the wrong job."

Devil's expressive eyes narrow in on her, "He's in the wrong job? What would the right one be: anger management counselor?"

"He would do well in those mandatory speeches we're always being dragged to," she points out, as she fires a round with the rifle.

The shots come out well, hitting the target just slightly right of center. Pates fires a couple more rounds as Devil speaks.

"Maybe. He does have that...anger. But in my opinion, General Hux has those down to a tee. You really believe him when he says he's going to 'crush the Republic', although when he goes into the military strategy part of the speech, that...that is where you lose me," Devil narrows his brow and squints his eyes as much as he can, contorting his mouth into an over-embellished snarl as he puts both hands behind his back in order to do an impression of the general.

Putting down the rifle, Pates turns around and breaks into laughter at the sight of Devil's mockery of General Hux. Even as she takes off her helmet, she's still laughing.

"Awe...man, that's great," Pates cackles, as she doubles over, putting her hands onto her knees.

As Devil returns to normal, Pates gets the last of the giggles out of her, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, "Haha...man...I use to look forward to those rallies."

Her smile fades, and she purses her lips. Looking down, she returns her rifle to the duffel bag. Devil glances at her, he opens his mouth, but no words come out. His expression then changes, and he finally speaks.

"Yeah, after a while, I get tired of hearing the same speech over and over again. I mean, I know it's suppose to raise moral, but I would think that by now the First Order would have more than just speeches to do that," he figures aloud.

Out of the duffel bag, Pates takes out the heavy metal gauntlet, its sleek, silver design accented with bits of purple. Taking off her gloves, she slides her hand through, the gauntlet having been specifically fit for her.

"Woah...and what is that, exactly?" Devil asks, scooting towards her.

Once the gauntlet's on her, Pates flexes her fingers, watching the metal move in tandem, "This is something I've been working on for a long time."

She gets onto her feet, standing with certain confidence. Without putting on her protective helmet, she steps up to the middle slot of the shooting range. Taking a deep breath, she starts scrunching her fingers, and electricity starts flowing through the gauntlet. Each spark travels down her arm to her palm, building into a seismic ball of energy. Once the ball has grown to the size of her head, it only takes a push of her arm for Pates to fire.

The ball releases a crest of purple lightning, firing on every target in the shooting range at once. The onslaught of electricity lasts for several seconds, the lightning's reflection in Pates' eyes. Finally, it stops, and Pates lowers her arm, the gauntlet now emitting steam.

Devil shakes his head in disbelief, "That...that was amazing."

Pates turns around, the targets behind her now either on fire or completely disintegrated, "Sure, it makes for a cool lights show, but the charge is slow, and the battery can only take a couple hits before it needs more juice."

Holding up her gauntlet, Pates pumps her arm, and a small, purple capsule pops out of the lower end of the gauntlet. Catching it with her other hand, she holds it up for Devil to see, "Plasma batteries, specially made. They're expensive, and with the kind of resources I'm dealing with now, I can only have so many of them. So I've gotta make the ones I can get count."

Snapping out of his shock, Devil grabs Pates by both shoulders, "Does that matter?! You have a lightning arm! It's like...like you've got some kind of superpowers-"

Pates cracks a light smirk, "No...no...this isn't like the Force. I...I'm not strong with the Force. This is just technology, plain and simple."

Devil releases her shoulders, and as Pates takes off her gauntlet, he asks, "How...how do you know you're not strong with the Force?"

She purses her lips, as she turns to him with a whimsical expression, "I don't know, low midi-chlorian count?"

Devil scrunches his eyes close together, "Midi-...what?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Pates is working on some of the circuitry under the grate of one of the _Finalizer's_ hallways when two Stormtroopers she doesn't recognize march up to her.

"Pates Laylesa? You need to come with us," one of them demands, shifting the blaster he holds in both hands.

She stands, covering the underlying circuitry up with the grate, "Alright. Where...where are you taking me?"

"Commander Ren wants to see you," the other one explains, as she follows them down the hallway.

Pates raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure I'm the mechanic you're looking for?"

"We're sure," the first Stormtrooper mumbles.

She's escorted to, of all places, Kylo Ren's private quarters. The door slides open with a punching in of a code by one of the Stormtroopers, revealing a dark, simple living quarters. While much bigger than Pates' room, it lacks any personal touch, with only the standard decorations dotting the otherwise sparse space.

Pates takes a deep breath as she spots the black-clad figure staring out the window, his hands behind his back. Her expression suddenly shifts from her usual sharp nonchalance to a wide-eyed politeness.

"Pates Laylesa. I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced," Kylo Ren's voice is deep behind his helmet, as he turns to face her.

Glancing downwards, she shakes her head, "No, no we have not."

"Most people are forced out of the position of Chief Engineer, but you chose to resign. Why?" he asks, tilting his head to the side.

"I believe my official resignation is on First Order records, Commander," Pates counters, "I have nothing more to say about the incident that wasn't already stated in the report."

"I want to hear it from you personally," Kylo Ren pushes back, as he starts pacing towards her with an intense slowness, cape billowing behind him.

She sighs, glancing up at the masked Knight of Ren, "My home planet was not in the original list of planets to be destroyed by Starkiller Base's quintessence superweapon, at least not the list I received. However, it was a Republic-controlled planet on the edge of the Hosnian system, and...and the First Order saw it would be strategically beneficial if it were destroyed-"

"Your front does not fool me, Laylesa. Speak...speak candidly with me, your added words are only meant to stall the conversation," Kylo Ren interrupts, now only several paces away from Pates.

She raises an eyebrow, "How are you so certain this is not how I speak all the time, Commander Ren? After all, this is the first time we've ever been...introduced."

Kylo Ren suddenly takes several steps at once, becoming all too close to Pates, "Are you implying something?"

With nothing but a smirk, her facade disappears, and her posture relaxes, "Every leader has spies. Including you."

Lifting his head back, Kylo Ren turns back around as Pates crosses her arms, "I don't blame you for having them. Business is business, and you can't have another case like FN-2187. Bad for moral."

"And what proof do you have that I employ spies?" Kylo Ren questions, whipping back around to face her.

Both of her eyebrows become raised, as she examines his ventilated helmet, "Uhm, not telling you, because the moment I start mentioning names, you're going to start killing people. Isn't that right? And besides, you've already been picking off Stormtroopers who don't fall in line with your beliefs. I really would hate to cause you to lose even more staff. Such a waste."

Tilting his head to the side, examining her, Kylo Ren asks, "As the main mind behind Starkiller base, surely you would have known General Hux? What was your relationship with him?"

She pauses, showing a crack in her confidence, if only for a second, "...personal. That's all you need to know-"

Suddenly Pates stumbles back, as a searing pain rips through her head-

* * *

" _So Brendol, we're asking that you take in our daughter, into your Academy. At least until I can win the planet's Senate seat, talk some sense into these people," Pates' mother explains._

 _The commandant glances at Pates, "You do realize that Arkanis Academy is far more prestigious than Hosnian schools. Does she have...any special skills?"_

" _Our daughter is an aspiring engineer. She wants to go to the Imperial Engineers Academy on Carida. Show the commandant what you've made."_

 _Pates' pulls up her sleeve, revealing a much more rudimentary version of her gauntlet, with only a battery strapped to her elbow and wires stretching all the way down to her fingertips._

" _We'd been telling her stories about the Empire, and the Emperor, and well, she got inspired," her father chuckles._

* * *

Pates almost laughs, gripping her head and barely keeping her balance, "So it's true? You can use the Force to enter people's minds-"

* * *

 _A tall red-haired boy stands high above Pates, "You will do well to keep your mouth shut, and your head down, little girl."_

* * *

Her breathing rapidly increasing, she bites her lip, trying to endure the pain-

* * *

 _A girl whose face is hidden from view warns Pates, "Entitlement is dangerous, and boys like Armitage Hux feel entitled to the galaxy."_

* * *

Kylo Ren grabs Pates by the shoulder, keeping her steady as he continues searching her-

* * *

 _Pates explains to the red-haired boy, a young General Hux, "On my way from the dining hall, I spotted two students. One had...I don't know how to explain it exactly...some sort of strange power. He lifted another cadet off of the ground, seemingly just by the lift of his hand. I didn't see him wearing any kind of anti-gravitational device-"_

" _A secret group within Arkanis Academy, top-performing students selected by Fath-...by the commandant himself. Some of them are strong with the Force,"he explains._

 _Pates chuckles, "The Force? But that's just legend, fairy tales-"_

* * *

With a scream of pain, Pates falls to her knees, weak and vulnerable. Her breathing heavy, and blood spilling from her nose, she glances up at the Knight of Ren. His focus is off of her, as he assumes a thinking position.

"I see...apparently your weak connection with the Force makes these intrusions...especially painful," Kylo Ren observes aloud.

Pates bites back tears, "Please...please…"

With a lift of his hand, Pates is lifted into the air. He looks upon her, his expression unreadable behind his mask, "And you were just so proud, so sure of yourself. Such a shame, it's all a ruse."

He throws her down with the Force, "I will leave you for today. You may go."

Out of anger, and out of spite, Pates questions, "And what...what was the purpose of that?"

Kylo Ren peers down at Pates, who's still on the ground, "Would you like me to do it to you again?"

Fear flashes through her, and for once, she shows genuine submission, "N-...no sir."

Scrambling to her feet, she wipes the blood from her nose and heads straight for the door.

"Oh, one more thing, Laylesa," Pates freezes as Kylo Ren speaks once more.

"For entertainment's sake...tell me something about the General, something personal."

Completely swallowing her pride, she blurts out, "He secretly keeps a cat in his private quarters. Millicent. Now...may I please go?"

Her heart sinks as Kylo Ren throws his hand out towards her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she's relieved when she hears the whir of the door opening. Marching out as fast as she can, Pates bolts out of Kylo Ren's quarters. She rushes back to her room, where she can finally slam herself onto her bed, letting the tears fall.

"And I thought I wouldn't have to deal with one of those _damn_ Force users again," she shouts into her pillow, her fist slamming down onto it.

She continues sobbing, curling up into a ball and biting into her pillow. She hears the door open, and blinded by frustration, she throws her pillow down.

"What?!"

Her expression immediately softens as she realizes that the being entering isn't a person, but an orange cat, staring up at her with wide eyes.

"Meow."


End file.
